Sinclair's Almanac 5E Package 1 is ready !
over 2 years ago – Fri, Nov 10, 2023 at 04:58:52 PM

Hi everyone, 

The first content package for the Almanac 5th edition is now ready. We will continue to deliver the content through packages like these as it gets laid out.

The downloadable file will be available through backerkit or on your user account page on the Sinclair's Library website depending on where your made your pre-order. 

The PF2 version of the book has received a warm welcome and we hope our 5E community will feel the same about the content our team has created for them. As always, feedback and corrections are always welcome on our Discord server. 

The Sinclair's team.

PF2 - Sinclair's Almanac - v0.9 Sent Through Backerkit
over 2 years ago – Fri, Oct 06, 2023 at 05:21:45 PM

It's time to open the Almanac.

It has been sent.  The first version of the Sinclair's Almanac book for Pathfinder 2.0, fresh out of layout, has been sent to all backers through Backerkit. This is a preliminary version, as we rushed to get it done as quickly as possible so it could be sent to all our backers and pre-orders. This means, you might find some copy paste errors, some minor typos, and the anchoring of the chapters and hyperlinks towards external sources hasn't been done yet. But all the content is in, and for you to use. We'll be updating the file whenever the polished version is over. 

5th edition Almanac

The conversion for the 5th Edition Almanac is over, and has been sent to layout. The content that was not sent to playtest yet has been divided into 4 packages, which will be released as they are layed out, until the 4th one is finalise and the book compiled together. 

Sinclair's Codex 

Our PF2 layout artist being done with the Almanac, they will now move to the Codex. Just like the 5th Edition Almanac, packages will be released as progress moves forward, until compiled into a finished book. 

Digital Content

As soon as both versions of both books are fully in the hands of our layout artists, the data entering for VTTs will be able to resume and become the priority of the remaining team. The digital content package containing the PNGs and Tokens will be built in the process, and sent to those who opted for it whenever it is ready. 

We hope you will find inspiration for all sorts of new characters, or the missing piece of the puzzle you needed for your existing one in the Almanac, and that you will enjoy it while we get finished with the rest. 

A long overdue update and apology
over 2 years ago – Thu, Aug 10, 2023 at 10:13:23 AM

Hi everyone, this is the Sinclair’s Library team.

First, we want to start off by apologizing for the lack of communication. This was something we identified as a weakness and had hired someone to assist us. Unfortunately, due to this being the tail end of the project, we could no longer justify including them in the budget. As such, it has fallen to the few of us left to do the communication, and we failed at doing so.

Now the reason we haven’t communicated earlier is quite simply: we don’t have much in the way of actual news. The Almanac is currently in layout, as already announced, and due to a personal crisis for the person hired to do the layout, it has been delayed far longer than we would ideally want. We have decided that respecting the personal time of one of our valued team members meant more than the arbitrary deadline we had set.

The second reason we have not reached out is because we have been “3 days away from completion” for 6 weeks now. Those of you who manage projects professionally will probably be familiar with this strange state of completion. And so, everyday an update was getting more pressing, but everyday was allegedly getting us closer to completion, negating the need for an update, creating a weird paradox.

The short version here is, we messed up, and we are sorry. The Nonat1s channel has always been about transparency and we have every intention for Sinclair to follow the same path. We failed at this objective. All we can do is promise to try and do better in the future.

As far as the books go, three out of the five chapters of the Almanac are laid out. Given the current situation, and past history, giving you a date for its completion would be irresponsible. All we can say is, we are working on it. In the meantime, the rest of the team has been completing, editing and polishing the Codex, which means it should be able to go to layout very closely after the release of the Almanac.

I’d like to close this out by thanking everyone for their patience. We know that it’s not unusual for a Kickstarter to be delayed, but we wanted to be the exception, and we have not lived up to that. The situation with our layout person has been but one of many incidents and complications our staff has had to deal with this year, added to all the management learning curve associated with a project of this size. Our Q1 2023 release objective was optimistic at best, and would have been tight in the best of circumstances. The best of circumstances, we did not get. But know that we are not done. We’re determined to deliver on our promises—if later than any of us wanted—and get these books out. The next you hear from us should be the release of the long overdue Sinclair’s Almanac.

The Almanac is in layout !!!
almost 3 years ago – Mon, May 22, 2023 at 01:35:30 PM

It's official. The Almanac is in layout. It was a long process, and there was a lot of work (more than anticipated truth be told), but our playtest phase is over, the final edits have been made, and the book is being laid out as we speak.

What does this mean ?

This means that in a week or two (give or take), if you had the PF2 Almanac PDF in your pledge, you will receive your copy. The full book, the full thing, ready to use. We will take comments and feedback on our Discord server, just like we did for the playtest, to address any typos, oversight or unclear sentences which could lead to RAI vs RAW uncertainties. We do not expect them as the content has been thoroughly reviewed, but we are fallible and it is always better safe than sorry. After a week, the final version will be distributed to backers and uploaded to the varied online stores for purchase.

What about the Codex ?

While the editors were hard at work on the Codex, the writers were finishing up the Codex, and short of a few pieces, it is written. Which means that our editors, now free from the Almanac, can get to work right away. As opposed to the Almanac, balancing and playtesting is a far more streamlined process for NPCs and villains alike. The editing process should be fast and straightforward, and we expect to be able to put the Codex in your hands quickly after the Almanac.

Why not both at once ?

Because you have been patient enough! Between the unexpected, unforeseeable and "should have seen this coming" issues we've encountered in development, we are well aware that these books are past their due date. We do not see a reason to withhold a finished book longer than necessary for the simple sake of releasing both books at once. The physical versions however, are still going to be shipped together, in the interest of saving shipping cost for everyone involved.

What about 5E ?

The status of the 5E books has not changed. We are releasing playtest content as it comes along (don't forget to check our classes playtest from last week) and the team is hard at work finishing the conversion for both books. As soon as they are ready, they will be released, in PDF first and in print subsequently, just like the PF2 versions.

Sinclair's Patreon : Stories of Irkalla
almost 3 years ago – Mon, May 22, 2023 at 09:25:08 AM

Sinclair’s Library is proud to announce the launch of a new side project: Balate’s anthology. Every month, we will publish a new story recounting the adventures, tragedies, successes, and life-defining moments of the characters curated in the Sinclair’s Codex. We will publish one story a month for a $4.99 fee on Patreon.

Who is this for and what to expect?

If you enjoy reading fantasy fiction, this is for you. While these stories explore the world of Sinclair and use Codex entries as a starting point, they are designed to be enjoyed independently. The writers will pick a Codex entry that appeals to them and create a narrative inspired by what has already been written. There is no need to have bought, read, used or even skimmed the Codex to appreciate these stories, nor to enjoy TTRPGs for that matter.

As for what to expect, well the answer is: a little bit of everything. The team leads and editors on the Codex follow a mandate that ensures all of our work consistently reflects the style and the voice of Sinclair. The editor of the Patreon project has the opposite instructions, instead it follows a directive that encourages the writers to infuse their own style and passion into these pieces.

You will find a wide variety of style, topics, and themes across the shorts, depending on which writer is being published or what mood they were in when penning the piece. We hope that you’ll embrace these writers’ passion as much as they enjoyed writing them.

What will the money be used for ?

The goal of the Patreon project is to gauge our audience’s reaction to the varied storytelling projects we’re creating, as well finance future creative projects and expansions of Sinclair’s Library. After reaching certain milestones, we might increase the number of short stories published per month, or increase the lengths of the stories, or even explore different media like audiobooks and comics.. Some projects born from the Patreon might end up being developed into bigger projects if we feel you are hungry for more, but the Patreon itself will remain our project nursery, where we explore through trial and error.

Does this mean Sinclair is moving away from TTRPG ?

No. A big emphatic no. We love making game content, many of our creators are game designers first and foremost, and we have an extensive calendar of content coming up for you in the future. Our ideas actually outnumber the time and resources we have to accomplish them, really. But our TTRPG books are not meant for us to tell our stories; they are meant to enable you to tell your own tales. And we write them with that mindset. But, sometimes our writers would like to tell their own stories too, and this Patreon is an outlet for them to do so.

Why this and why now ?

Some of you might wonder, why release a side project when the content of our Kickstarter hasn’t been fully released yet? There are a series of reasons which motivated us to fast forward this project, which has been pinned to the drawing board for a while already. The first and primary reason has been covered already: we wanted a different outlet to explore storytelling in a different way. But there are also business motivated reasons and, in the spirit of transparency, we feel it is the right thing to share them with you.

Planning for the future

It was always clear to everyone at Sinclair’s Library that TTRPG content was only the first step. While game designers, we are storytellers and there are endless ways to tell captivating stories. This sideline is an opportunity for us to see which of these ways you prefer engaging with, which media we personally prefer to use for different types of projects and how we can best facilitate the right creators meeting the right audience through the right media.

Reaction to the OGL roller coaster

The whole OGL debacle had us worried for the company’s future, which is still in its infancy, and in reaction to it, we were forced to turn drafted ideas into executable projects in case things took a turn for the worse. This Patreon, and the idea of publishing fiction writing in general, is one of these drafts. Despite the situation being mostly resolved and our confidence that we will be able to continue making game content for you for a long time, we see no reason to delay this project now that we have figured out the ins and outs of what we want it to be.

Risk free exploration

Developing new projects and products unfortunately costs money and never provides any guarantee of success. In addition, the TTRPG industry is a very unpredictable one, leaving us with two choices: stick to what works, repeating the same formula knowing it is safe and popular, or roll the dice on every new project or idea we might have. A recurring income from a Patreon will allow us to take creative risks, target content to smaller audiences, and allow our creators to engage in projects that matter to them without taking away resources from the bigger projects of our core audience.

Content ahead of time for a change

Our community and our audience has been extremely generous and trusting regarding the launch of Sinclair’s Library. We will not be asking for blind faith from you a second time. You can download our first short story for free, right here, giving you the opportunity to decide if this content is for you or not before signing up on Patreon, where a second story is already uploaded and available. Two more stories are already at the editing stage, ensuring the release rate will be uninterrupted.